Luke 12 (3)

Pray Psalm 27.4-6.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Sing Psalm 27.4-6.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
One thing we request but to dwell with You, Lord,
Your beauty to test and to think on Your Word.
In trouble You hide us secure in Your grace.
No foe may o’erride us: We sing of Your praise!

Read Luke 12.1-21; meditate on verses 13-21.

Preparation
1. Against what did Jesus warn the crowd?

2. What was the rich man’s problem?

Meditation
Covetousness is the gateway to all sin. If we fail to check our covetous inclinations, sin will surely follow in one form or another.

Jesus discerned a covetous spirit in the man who called on Him for his share in an inheritance (vv. 13-15). Jesus did not come to arbitrate matters of justice between covetous men. Men seek possessions as if they were the real essence of life. Jesus offered life apart from any concern for possessions.

The parable of the rich fool illustrated Jesus’ comment in verse 15. This wealthy man was fixated on gaining more wealth. More wealth, more happiness, he assumed. He had put his trust in things, believing that possessions were the essence of life (vv. 16-19). But life comes from God, and life consists in knowing, loving, and serving God, not in indulging oneself as much as possible in worldly things (v. 20).

The riches we need for true and abounding happiness are in knowing God. He is our true treasure and inheritance. The better we know Him and the more faithful we are in serving Him, the more true joy and contentment will fill our souls. Laying up material goods will not bring your soul the satisfaction you desire. Only when you are “rich toward God” can you know the fullness of life for which you have been redeemed and saved.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus, the perfect keeper of the Law, never failed to draw His teaching back into the Law to explain its workings to others.

In this passage, He harked back to the summation of the Ten Commandments: You shall not covet (Ex. 20.17). For it is indeed “the gateway to all sin”.  God carefully spelled out the parameters: Do not covet your neighbor’s house; your neighbor’s wife; your neighbor’s male and female employees; your neighbor’s ox and donkey, and anything that is your neighbor’s. Basically, don’t desire to have anything that belongs to anybody else. As the writer of the book of Hebrews stated: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have” (Heb. 13.5).

The apostle Paul parsed it out with even more detail:
“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith
in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6.6-10).

Or as the psalmist David put it: “If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Ps. 62.10).

Paul wrote a 6 Step Plan for avoiding the love of money, keeping the faith, and controlling our covetous tendencies (1 Tim. 6.11-14):
1. Flee the love of money and greediness.
2. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
3. Fight the good fight of faith.
4. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called.
5. Confess the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
6. Keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.

We dare not seek wrong riches which bring God’s displeasure and retribution (Lk. 12.20).

Assuredly, “The riches we need for true and abounding happiness are in knowing God. He is our true treasure and inheritance.”

For reflection
1. What is covetousness? What makes covetousness the gateway of all sin?

2. What might signal you that you were beginning to covet something you should not? What should you do then?

3. What can you do to help make sure all your desires move you toward the Lord Jesus Christ?

Covetousness is a sin we need constantly to be warned against; for happiness and comfort do not depend on the wealth of this world. The things of the world will not satisfy the desires of a soul. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 12.13-21

Pray Psalm 27.11-14.
Seek the Lord’s guidance for all this day’s activities. Ask Him to show You His goodness, abounding on every hand. Wait on Him in prayerful anticipation for grace to help in all your times of need.

Sing Psalm 27.11-14.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
Lord, teach us; Lord, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, Lord, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.

Wait, wait on the Lord; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the Lord.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.